I often hear, "Do I really need to invest in video for business?" I always, without question, answer - Absolutely! Video is a powerful tool that will help your business grow internally and externally. Whether you're a niche enterprise or a large chain retailer, video goes a long way to help your business succeed. There are numerous ways you can use video within your business to reach goals and milestones. If you're interested in learning about a few, keep reading!

Video for Business Marketing

Over the last few years, video's popularity has grown so dramatically that it has cemented itself as part of a business marketing strategy that you can't ignore. With a little creativity and a well-thought-out plan, videos can help your business stand out from the rest with a unique and unforgettable voice, capturing and holding an audience's attention while providing useful information. Add onto that the numerous ways you can now share video, from YouTube to social media and beyond, and incorporating video into your marketing strategy is a no-brainer.

Still not completely convinced that you need to include video as part of your business' marketing strategy?

Earlier this year, Wowzyl and HubSpot released their State of Video Marketing Report for 2018, which provides some very useful stats on why video has become so important for businesses. Here are some insights worth pondering as you consider adding video to your marketing strategy.

• In 2017, people watched an average of one-and-a-half hours of video a day, with 15 percent watching more than three hours of video every day! That's a lot of opportunities to connect with your business' audience.

• In just one year, the number of businesses that use video as a part of their marketing strategy grew by 81 percent – a growth of nearly 20 percent. There's a pretty good chance your competition is already using video.

• More than half of the 19 percent that did not use video in 2017 have planned to use it this year, which means that more than 90 percent of businesses will be using video in their marketing.

• With video being more interactive than text, most people (72 percent) would rather watch a video to learn about a brand or product than read about it.

Need more? Here are a few more stats straight from HubSpot:

• 97% of businesses say video has helped increase user understanding of their product or service.

• 76% say it helped them increase sales.

• 76% say it helped them increase traffic.

• 80% of businesses say video has increased dwell time on their website.

• 95% of people have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service.

• 81% of people have been convinced to buy a product or service by watching a brand's video.

• 69% of people have been convinced to buy a piece of software or application by watching a video.

• 85% of people say they'd like to see more videos from brands this year.

As you can see, businesses who use video in their marketing efforts often see amazing results in their engagement, website traffic, and sales. From advertising to newsletters, videos are a terrific way to interact with your audience and need to be included in your marketing efforts.

Video for Business Training

Video for business training is a common tool used for new employees, but it is also an effective and often overlooked aspect for established employees. There are so many opportunities in which video can come into play outside of getting new team members up to speed on your company and their new roles. If you're wondering how to maximize your training efforts through video, here are three ideas that work wonders.

1. Demonstrate How Your Products Work

Videos are a great way to teach your employees, whether they're new team members or have been with your company long-term, how your products work. The better acquainted and the more in-depth their knowledge is about your products and services, the more successful they will be in their job roles. Videos are able to demonstrate better than text can ever explain the ins and outs of your business's offerings. Just remember to make sure these videos are easy to access so employees can refer to them whenever they need them.

2. New Management Training 

Most often, when videos are used for training, they're used for entry-level employees who are new to your company. Did you know you can provide higher-level staff with coaching through video, too? Managers are the support system for your business. They offer guidance, support, and training to those who help reach business goals. For a manager to be successful, they need to have support as well. Whether they're explainer videos, FAQ videos, or something else, videos are a great way of offering guidance on managing their roles responsibly and providing them with the knowledge to help their team reach their objectives.

3. Easily Accessible Training for All Employees

No matter what position an employee holds or how long they have been with your company, training videos provide an easy way to share new policies, products, services, or goals and train them to use the information. Also, for established employees who have been with your company for a longer period of time, easily accessible videos are a stellar way to refresh skills and knowledge.

Video for Business Team Building

Team building with video is a novel way to transfer an understanding of your business culture to employees company-wide. There are multiple ways you can use video to build your team.

• Introducing your entry-level employees to upper management. Often times in larger organizations and enterprises, there is a lack of connection between upper and lower-level employees, causing a possible disconnect in your team. When your entry-level employees are familiar with who their managers are, it creates a more unified organization. When your business spans multiple locations, it can be difficult to create unification between different departments. Video is the perfect solution to introduce the different members and departments of your team. Have them talk a little bit about their role, their history with the company, why they love their job, and some personal details about themselves.

• Sharing knowledge with others. A knowledgeable team is a strong team. Video is a fantastic way for more experienced employees to share their years of assembled knowledge with those who are newer to the company. When everyone has the same information and shares their insight, it creates a more dynamic team and enterprise.

• Motivating employees to reach goals. Videos are naturally engaging and entertaining; because of this, they are a fantastic tool to motivate employees to reach goals. Having someone on video which is excited and enthusiastic about what they're talking about is powerful. When everyone is eager and engaged in the goal, from the top down, it creates a team that is unified and willing to stick together to reach them.

• Transfer Your Business' Culture. Your business culture tells a complex story that is difficult to convey to new employees. The longer your company has been in business, the more involved the story becomes! Video enables you to capture the unique picture that is your company's culture. Elements of your organization's culture include:

• How formal or informal your company is. Are jeans and t-shirts acceptable, or is everyone required to wear formal business attire?

• The diversity within your company, in all aspects.

• The history of your business.

• Unique advantages of your company. Are pets welcome? Do you offer a health bar or gym? Do employees get to work from home

• How much you value your employees – from entry-level to those at the top – and how you show your appreciation.

Video can highlight varying perspectives from different departments, can be used to bring employees up to speed, and reveal comprehensive snapshots of your business and what makes it unique. A strong sense of culture creates a team that takes pride in the company they work for and is willing to go the extra mile to reach business goals.

Beyond marketing, training, and team building- video also has the potential to welcome guests to your website, help onboard new staff and relay important messages about your organization. With so many ways video can be used, I stand by my answer – yes, you need to invest in video for business. Do you know of any other ways that companies can use video? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

If you're ready to take the leap and work with a video production company, we'd love to help! 

Tabrizi Productions is a boutique video production company with a mission to make video accessible for all. We offer authentic, affordable video storytelling for companies large and small.

We are locally serving Oakland, Palo Alto, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Jose, San Mateo, and the surroundings of the Silicon Valley area. Sound like a fit? Fill out this form to schedule a free consultation.